Metasearch giant Kayak announced a partnership with a crypto-friendly travel booking service on Friday Travala, a travel startup PhocusWire Hot 25 for 2022.
Founded in 2017, Travala offers booking on more than 600 airlines worldwide, as well as more than 2 million properties and 400,000 activities in 230 countries. Around 80% of bookings on the platform are purchased with over 90 different cryptocurrencies, with traditional payment methods like credit cards also supported.
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As travelers make billions of queries on Kayak each year, the integration will improve Travala’s visibility, showcasing its hotel and flight offerings alongside more traditional travel platforms, CEO Juan Otero said.
“This integration is an important step towards crypto adoption in one of the largest industries in the world,” he said. “Our partnership with a major player like Kayak makes it easy for crypto travelers to compare options at a glance and reinforces the crucial role that blockchain and web3 technologies will play in the future of the travel industry.”
Travelers who select a Travala hotel on the Kayak website will be redirected to the relevant product on Travala.com for booking.
Kayak officials called it an interesting deal, given the interest they’re seeing from travelers exploring new payment methods. “Combining the convenience of Kayak’s powerful search capabilities with Travala.com’s crypto-friendly philosophy will help us make planning easier for those looking for an alternative payment method,” said Paul Jacobs, general manager and vice-president. President of Kayak for North America.
